SMR increase with fleets operating vehicles for longer

Fleet demand for service, maintenance and repair (SMR) increased in 2023, with vehicles being operated for longer post pandemic.

Fleet transactions through Epyx’s 1link Service Network SMR platform rose by 6% during the past year.

The platform is used by fleets totalling more than four million cars, vans and trucks to manage their SMR processes, working with more than 8,500 franchise dealers, independent garages and fast fits, so provides a good indicator of market trends.

Tim Meadows, chief commercial officer at Epyx, said: “There have been a number of trends powering growth in transactions through the platform, some affecting the wider market and some specific to Epyx.

“The key general fact is that fleets continue to operate cars and vans for much longer than prior to the pandemic, meaning they simply require more SMR actions.

“While there are some indications that this situation is in the process of stabilising as new vehicle supply gradually improves, the prospect of returning to the shorter replacement cycles seen previously seems remote, at least for the foreseeable future.”

Epyx’s 1link Service Network SMR platform also reported a strong year internationally, with the quantity of invoices raised by users in Denmark rising by 22%, in Ireland by 12%, in France by 8% and in Portugal by 7%.

“Today, 1link Service Network is used by 105 major vehicle operators including 41 of the UK’s top 50 leasing companies,” said Meadows.

“Since its inception, more than 54 million repairs have been undertaken, 26 million services fulfilled, eight million MOT tests completed and almost five million tyres fitted, generating 46 million invoices and a spend of nearly £10 billion.

“It has been continuously developed over time to take account of changing fleet and garage needs, as well as advances in technology.”